Runaways
by Miratete
Summary: How far would you go to be with the one you love? Whom would you defy? Introduced to each other in Episode 55: "The Plunder of Glowworm Grotto," Scott and Te Kaha hit it off a little too well and do something rash, threatening the success of a fledgling Trakker Foundation project in New Zealand and leaving Matt questioning himself.
1. Love and Marriage

**Runaways**

**Chapter 1: Love and Marriage**

-o-o-o-o-o-

Julio was right. These celebrations did go on for days. VENOM had hardly fled when the party at the village resumed.

Matt sat next to Chief Kaitaia at the head table on the leader's right. At Kaitaia's left along the side table were Julio, Gloria, and Bruce. At Matt's right on the side table sat Scott and Te Kaha, then T-Bob, followed by Dusty at the end. Kaiatai's back had been completely soaked and scrubbed clean of the map-maker's ink, and he again wore his formal headdress of feathers.

There were many dances and entertainments. Sometimes the men would dance their strong, serious dances that emphasized their masculinity and boasted of their ferocity. Chief Kaitaia often danced with them, for which there was much applause. When the women danced, Te Kaha would usually join in. Scott would sit with his head in his hands all mooney-eyed. And she would be smiling back at him.

After their adventure togther, one that included the rescue of Paparoa, Te Kaha's doting and doddering grandfather, Scott and Te Kaha had become inseparable. Most of the time they ran about hand in hand through the village and had even gotten to the point where they were eating off of the same plate. "Aren't they adorable?" Gloria remarked to Julio, looking over at Scott and Te Kaha. The two eleven-year-olds were now off to the side of the main group, and Te Kaha was teaching Scott some dance steps. "It brings back memories. When I was his age I had a boyfriend and we were just like that," she leaned over and sighed wistfully. "Isn't puppy-love just the cutest thing?"

"They are very cute together," he agreed.

At one point when returning to his place after a dance, Chief Kaitaia paused and looked down at Gloria as if noticing her for the first time.

"Your wife is rather beautiful, Julio Lopez."

"My wife?" Julio suddenly looked over at Gloria and realized that Chief Kaitaia was referring to her. Julio laughed at the mistake. "Oh she's not my wife. Just a friend."

"Whose wife is she?"

"I'm not married, Chief Kaitaia," Gloria explained.

"Not married?" He seemed a bit surprised.

"She's too busy to be married. It's common for American women." Matt tried to explain it simply.

"How can anyone be too busy for marriage? Julio Lopez, I say you should marry her."

Matt was about to try to explain it further, but Dusty stood up and said: "I'll show you why she's not married." He stepped around the table and beckoned her over. "Let's show them a bit of your Kung-fu."

Gloria's puzzled expression became one of amusement. "Oh, so this is the explanation you give to my love life..." she laughed, almost haughtily.

"Just go easy on me."

"Go easy on you? You won't even get eight seconds, cowboy," she taunted him.

Seeing that something interesting seemed about to happen, everyone nearby gathered to watch.

Dusty grabbed a piece of firewood and came at her, brandishing it like a club.

"Go get her, Dusty!" cheered Scott as Hayes charged.

Moments later, Dusty was on the ground, tossed easily by Gloria's skill. He rose and came at her again, but she dodged his weapon, ducked low, and sent him to the ground again with several punches and a swift kick.

The Maori all cheered in amazement and approval. "Your wife is a good fighter, like a Maori warrior," complimented Kaitaia.

"But she's not..." and then he stopped. "Thank you." Apparently the man wanted to think of her as his wife. It wouldn't hurt anything if they thought Gloria was married to him.

Dusty lay on the ground moaning.

Gloria stepped over to him and helped him to his feet. "You deserved that," she smirked.

"I did...I did..." he agreed as she brushed him off. "I'll know not to insult your romantic life again."

Chief Kaitaia was impressed. "She fights without a weapon, and can best a large man. May I try?" He stood and reached for the ties on his cape.

Gloria was reluctant. "I would not want to injure or insult you, Chief Kaitaia," she said bowing.

"I understand. Would you fight one of my men? I would like to see how you do against a Maori warrior."

The group gathered were pushing out a large man from amongst them, a tall and tattooed representative of local strength. He was a head taller and probably had fifty pounds on her.

"Gloria, you can say no if you want," advised Matt.

"Are you sure, Chief Kaitaia?"

"Tawa here is not afraid."

She took a breath to ready herself, took her stance, and Chief Kaitaia waved the Maori forward, making an announcement in Maori to his people.

The fight lasted a bit longer than the demonstration with Dusty, and when Gloria found that he easily withstood her lighter blows, she worked on knocking the wind out of him while dodging his clumsy swipes. Eventually a strong spinning kick to the chest left him groaning but laughing in the dirt.

They all applauded Gloria, the warriors all crowding around her and wanting to shake her hand in the western fashion. Her fallen opponent rose and congratulated her. Then he took off his necklace of mother-of-pearl pieces and placed it around her neck. And then he went to Julio and congratulated him on his choice in spouses.

Gloria returned to her seat, dusting herself off for effect as she sat. Julio moved a little closer to her. "Kaitaia has decided that you and I are married," he said quietly to her.

"Oh? Whatever happened to me being too busy for marriage?"

"The chief doesn't seem to accept that as an excuse."

"I see." She'd been mistaken for Mrs. Trakker on several occasions, once for Mrs. McClean, and once for Mrs. Turner, but had never been accidentally paired with Julio. "Number four in the series...collect them all..." she mused to herself. As usual nothing would come of it besides a little teasing, though when they all returned to the guest house that night, it was discovered that two of the provided cots had been pushed together and her things were sitting next to Julio's. They all laughed and volunteered to move the two back apart, but she simply yawned "whatever," kicked off her shoes, and climbed into her sleeping bag.

-o-o-o-o-o-

On the next and final night of the celebration, more tables had been set up for the newest arrivals—several other Maori chiefs whose people would also benefit from the Trakker Foundation's involvement in the area. They came with baskets of food and jars of drink and even a roasted pig. The MASK team had been moved to one side of the head area though Matt had kept his place at Chief Kaitaia's right.

"It's just like a barbeque, but without the barbeque sauce," commented Dusty as a serving of roast pork was placed before him. "I think I'm going to like this." Admittedly, they were all getting a bit tired of bland porridge dishes, overcooked chicken, undercooked fish, and the overabundance of fruit.

The chiefs of the other three villages sat across from the MASK team watching the dancing.

There seems to be a mild alcoholic content to this, whatever it is," said Matt, peering into his cup.

"Some sort of local beer, I think," offered Julio.

"Well that explains Bruce," laughed Gloria. "Half a cup and he's out." The engineer had slumped sideways against her about ten minutes before and was now sleeping peacefully on the matting despite the noise of the celebration.

"Well you know Bruce. All you have to do is drive slowly past a liquor store to get him drunk," Dusty joked.

Next to Matt, Scott and Te Kaha were sitting together tightly. Scott had his arm around her and they laughed and giggled and acted like a much older couple. He was even using a number of Maori words now for things, forms of address and nouns mostly. Though all was not delight...with the announcement that this was the final night of the celebration the pair had begun to show some distress at the impending separation.

Sometimes Matt thought he spied a kiss between them, but he passed it off to the flickering shadows cast by the torches and perhaps a bit too much of whatever was in the cups. And he passed it off at least until at one point later when Te Kaha kissed Scott brazenly on the lips. And instead of looking shy or flustered, his son returned it with equal pleasure.

Matt tried not to react. His son's first love affair was unfolding right next to him, and he definitely had mixed feelings. It was just puppy love after all, as Gloria had said. Tomorrow they would be headed home and the feelings would slowly fade, and in a year his son would probably be hard pressed to even remember the girl's name.

After another hour of drumming and dancing, Matt decided to haul Bruce back to the guest house and put him to bed. He woke him and pulled him to his feet, Bruce mumbling something about getting to the office. As they approached the guest house, Scott and Te Kaha ran up clasping hands. "Dad, we have to tell you something."

"Yes?"

"Dad, I'm going to..." Scott took a deep breath. "I'm going to get married," he said shyly.

"Married?" Matt had been caught off guard by the statement and was unsure that he had heard his son correctly.

"I'm going to marry Te Kaha," he said with a little more determination.

Te Kaha wrapped her arms tighter around his waist and kissed him from behind on the cheek. "He is!"

"Oh really?"

"Congratulations," said Bruce, still a little out of it. He had his arm over Matt's shoulder to steady himself.

"I see. She's a very nice girl and of a good family. Have you told Te Kaha's parents yet?"

"We're going to next," the bright-eyed girl beamed.

"So...T-Bob and I won't be going home tomorrow. We'll be staying in New Zealand."

Trakker's smile suddenly disappeared. "Uh...Scott? When were you planning on getting married?"

"Tonight, or tomorrow morning."

"And how old are you?"

"Eleven...almost twelve." He drew himself up as tall as he could.

"And Te Kaha, how old are you?"

"Eleven."

"Don't you two think that's a bit young?"

"That's so cute...Gloria and Julio just got married, I think...or maybe not...I can't remember what happened for sure," babbled Bruce.

"I know it is, but age is just a number. I've heard you say that yourself. And I think every week you say how quickly I'm growing up."

Matt sighed. "Let's sit down and discuss this. Bruce, do you think you can tuck yourself in?"

"I think so..." he said and staggered up the stairs and inside, humming the bridal chorus from Wagner's "Lohengrin".

Matt took a seat on the edge of the deck and the two children sat beside him. "Scott, we're going home tomorrow. I have business to get back to. We can't stay."

"Well then could we take Te Kaha with us?"

Matt rubbed the back of his neck. This was getting awkward. "Her place is here, in the village of her people and with her family."

"Well then I'll have to stay," he said matter-of-factually.

Matt took Scott's hand. "I know you care very much about her, but your home is in Nevada, with your family. But we'll come back and see her here. Often, I promise."

"But I can't just marry her and leave her here." Te Kaha's arms wrapped tighter around Scott, fearful that he would suddenly be snatched away from her.

"You're not marrying her now. You two are just too young. I know you don't want to be told this, but even her people don't get married this young." He turned to the girl. "Te Kaha, how old are the people in your tribe when they get married?"

She thought for a moment. "Eighteen...twenty...maybe older," she said abashedly.

"See."

"But Dad..." His eyes, like Te Kaha's, were filling with tears.

Matt shook his head. "Scott, I'm glad you love Te Kaha, and that she loves you back. But I just don't think either of you are ready for such a big responsibility yet. You've both got so much growing up ahead of you." He hopped off of the house deck and embraced them both. "There's no reason to rush into this. I'll make you a deal, all right?"

"What deal?"

"Te Kaha, I promise I'll bring Scott back to visit when I can. I'm not saying no. I'm just insisting that you two wait a few more years, 'til you've grown up a bit. When you're both eighteen, we'll discuss this again, all right?"

"Yes, Dad."

"Yes, Mr. Trakker."

"Good." He hugged them both tightly and then straightened again. "You two go enjoy yourselves now. It's the last night of the celebration."

They departed, walking away hand in hand, heads hanging in disappointment.

Matt went inside. Bruce was already asleep lying face down on his cot. The engineer was going to be so embarrassed in the morning even though it wasn't really his fault. Matt pulled off Bruce's shoes and straightened the insect netting so that it actually covered him, and then went to rejoin the others. Matt sat down again at the head table next to Kaitaia, hoping the others would not notice the concern on his face. Yes, it was cute that the pair were so attached and got along so perfectly. But at the same time it was a bit worrisome. Scott could be very determined and stubborn at times.

-o-o-o-o-o-

Sometime after sunrise the next morning, Matt woke up and pulled back the insect netting. T-Bob was not at his place beside Scott's bed. And then he saw that Scott was there not either. Thinking nothing of it, he washed his face in the basin and dressed. They were probably off playing in the forest or fishing in the river. Bruce, Julio, and Gloria were still asleep, but Dusty was stirring. "I think I smell coffee," Matt whispered to him.

"Perfect." Dusty yawned and stretched and soon joined Matt outside on the deck in the weak sunshine, where two of the village women were setting up breakfast on a low table. Matt opened his briefcase and shuffled through the papers, checking to see that everything had been properly signed.

Gloria soon emerged and fell into a cup of coffee and a dish of fruit. "So home today and back to the grind," she sighed.

"Going to miss your husband?" Dusty asked, nudging her in the ribs.

"Eh...married life hasn't been all it's cracked up to be."

"Next mission, I'll be your husband."

"I think it's Bruce's turn," said Matt, not even looking up from the documents.

"Oh, that'll be fun," she said with teasing sarcasm. "Half a cup of weak beer and he passes out. And he didn't even try to do that dance with us two nights ago. Stick in the mud. But at least he doesn't snore," she said, looking over her shoulder back into the house. "I had to keep kicking someone last night."

"I think Julio had a little too much fun last night."

"Heh...true that. Though you were the one too lazy to pull the cots apart," said Dusty with a wink.

Chief Kaitaia came over and joined the others at the table, helping himself to breakfast. He was looking a bit worn himself from three days of celebration. The group made light conversation, and just as they were finishing off the pot of coffee, a woman ran up to the edge of the deck. She began screaming at them in Maori, a tirade of anger with much finger-pointing at Matt. Chief Kaitaia's face was a mixture of embarrassment and concern.

Other women from the village began to crowd around, trying to comfort and quiet her. The noisy commotion brought Julio and Bruce out of the house.

"What's all this about?" Matt asked calmly, knowing that he was the center of it all.

Chief Kaitaia took a deep breath. "This is a grave matter. This woman is my sister, Te Kaha's mother, and she accuses your son of seducing her daughter. She says Te Kaha has taken her things and a cooking pot and run away."

"What? Run away?"

"They're probably just out playing somewhere," said Julio. "They've been together since they first met."

Matt's expression was dead serious. "Bruce, please go see if Scott's things are there," he asked calmly.

"Of course Matt." Bruce went back inside the guest house.

"Chief Kaitaia, I assure you that I will take care of this matter and that no harm will be done."

"Thank you Mr. Trakker. I expect there is nothing more than a misunderstanding."

Bruce returned, holding a piece of paper in his hand. Nervousness was written all over his face.

"Well?"

"His bag is gone, and...he left a note in his bed." He handed the paper to Matt.

Trakker read it quickly...and then read it again, aloud.

"Dad, I am running away with Te Kaha and we are going to get married. We love each other very much and never want to leave each other. I know that you said we're too young but time passes quickly and we have T-Bob to look after us too. Te Kaha says she knows of a beautiful place we can live and be happy and safe together. So don't worry about us and you'll have to fight VENOM without me from now on. Love, Scott."

Matt folded up the note and tucked it into his shirt pocket. Saying nothing, he closed his eyes as his hands clenched tightly.

-o-o-o-o-o-

Runaways continues in:

Chapter 2: Rain and Runaways

Chapter 3: Trails and Tribulations

Chapter 4: Recovery and Resolution

Chapter 5: Runaways Commentary

-o-o-o-o-o-

M.A.S.K. and all related concepts, characters, worlds, and events are property of DIC Enterprises, Inc and Kenner Toys. Original characters and story elements are property of E. Potter, writing under the pen name of Miratete.


	2. Rain and Runaways

**Runaways**

**Chapter 2: Runaways and Rain**

-o-o-o-o-o-

Matt switched on the radio connection to T-Bob. "Scott? Are you there? Scott, come in."

"Dad, what do you want?" His voice did not sound happy to hear from him.

"Well, we found your note, and we're all a bit concerned about this. Te Kaha's mother is in tears."

"Tell my mother not to worry," piped up Te Kaha over the radio. "Scott will look after me."

Matt waved Kaitaia's sister over. "You can talk to her."

The fretting woman began to ramble in Maori, and her runaway daughter spoke back in the same. And at one point, everyone who understood the language gasped, after which there was a bit more of an angry tone to the exchange, which ended with Te Kaha uncharacteristically raising her voice and saying an unhappy goodbye.

"Dad, what just happened? Te Kaha's crying now." Scott asked, the concern obvious.

"I'm not sure. Let me get a translation." He turned to the chief. "Chief Kaitaia?"

Kaitaia folded his arms over his chest. "Your son has married my niece. They went to Paparoa and he performed the wedding rites for them. She refuses to come home."

"My father is an old fool! He would not refuse her anything!" Te Kaha's father blurted angrily.

Matt's shoulders slumped. How could Scott be such a young fool?

"And I thought it was bad enough when Scott tangled with VENOM," whispered Dusty to Bruce and Julio.

"I will send out my warriors to look for them right away and bring them back," said Chief Kaitaia decisively.

Bruce stepped forward. "The hooting owl can be found, even on the darkest of nights," he said enigmatically.

"You're right, Bruce." Matt nodded to Bruce, who went back into the house. He turned again to Chief Kaitaia. "Chief Kaitaia, no need to look for them. I can tell you exactly where there are even without leaving the village."

Kaitaia's head cocked slightly.

"I'll show you. Just tell everyone to calm down and not to worry."

Bruce reemerged with the computer and set it down next to Matt. "Computer, show me a topographical map of Northern New Zealand." The computer's screen went from black to the requested map. "Center on my location. Zoom in to 1:400,000 scale." They all watched intently as the map moved and changed. "Show us on the map the location of T-Bob."

The computer churned a little as a new target was established, and then the map's focal point shifted.

Kaitaia followed everything intently.

"There's our hooting owl," said Matt, pointing at the white dot now appearing on the screen. "That's where Scott and Te Kaha are.

"He's near the house of my uncle Paparoa," said Kaitaia, peering closely and comprehending the topographical map.

"Computer, zoom in to 1:100,000 scale."

"The dot is moving," noticed Chief Kaitaia.

"Which means they are too. Can you tell me where they are going?"

Chief Kaitaia watched the white dot against the topographical lines. After a while he spoke. "They appear to be on the trail that leads to the Smoking River Valley.

"What's there?"

"Not much. No villages. A few farmers. A few fishermen. Some hot springs. There are some pakeha farmers further down toward the coast. We go there some winters to fish."

"How safe is it?"

"The trail is fairly safe, as long as they do not try to cross the mountain ridges in the night."

Matt stared at the moving blip on the screen as well, and then called for a weather report. Several windows popped open and showed various satellite and radar pictures and forecasts for the northern island.

"According to reports, tomorrow and the following days would be rainy with a few scattered storms. I'll go after them right away."

"Mr. Trakker. May I make a suggestion?" said Chief Kaitaia, catching Matt's arm as he stood.

"Yes, of course."

"If it's all right with you, since we can see where they are at, I think we should let this weather chase them home. They can't be carrying too much in the way of food or supplies. I think they will soon realize what a foolish thing they have done."

Matt thought about it for a moment. He did want to run right after Scott. He was a man of action. A man of decision. But perhaps letting the two struggle a bit was the right answer to the problem. His words the night before had done nothing to stop them, but perhaps a bit of hardship could convince them of their folly.

-o-o-o-o-o-

The village fires had died low and the torches were burned out, but the moon still hung in the hazy sky, flooding the area with cold light. Matt Trakker sat out on the edge of the deck of the guest house looking across the open center of the village. He had given up trying to sleep and had come outside to wrestle with his thoughts. Gloria had joined him and sat right next to him, her shoulder touching his. Alight sleeper herself, when she had noticed him leave the guest house and not return, she had come looking for him. The whole team had refused to leave that afternoon, instead choosing to stay with their leader at the ready for anything he needed.

"Where did I go wrong, Gloria?" he sighed. "I've tried so hard to be a good parent and teach him to make good decisions. And then something like this happens."

"You did the very best you could. We all know you did. We've practically watched Scott grow up," she replied trying to comfort him.

"But to do something this foolish? He knows he's only eleven."

"Maybe he felt it was the right thing to do."

"I don't see any of his schoolmates back home getting married."

"He's not like his schoolmates, thanks to you. He's highly intelligent and overly educated...a bit headstrong...and used to looking after himself." She grabbed his arm tightly and leaned against Matt's shoulder. "I wouldn't be surprised to find out you were just like him when you were that age."

"I was more than twice his age when I got married," he contested.

"Look, Chief Kaitaia's right. They'll realize soon enough that they've made a big mistake and aren't ready to face the world together. Then we can all go home and sort things out and eventually laugh about it."

"You make it sound so easy, Gloria. Just wait until you and Julio start having children. Then you'll see how tough it is being a parent."

The tension broken, they laughed quietly together. Gloria opened up the blanket around her shoulders and wrapped it around both of them. She snuggled her cheek against his shoulder and closed her eyes. And for a long time they sat there as the moon set over the hills in the west.

-o-o-o-o-o-

In another spot in the village, the same situation was keeping someone else awake. Chief Kaitaia lay in his bed looking through the window at the stars as he listened to his wife sleeping beside him. A week ago everything had seemed so perfect and orderly. The benefactor was coming. The good things of the outside world would come to them. The bad things would be kept out. There would be a great feast to celebrate this. But then something had happened. Unwelcome outsiders had forced Paparoa into taking them into the sacred cave, the place where none but the protector were allowed. The benefactor had somehow intervened and made things right with the help of his friends. But now the benefactor's son had again changed the balance.

Te Kaha...charming little Te Kaha...his younger sister's daughter. Though not the heir to the chieftainship, she held great rank and responsibility. No marriage had been arranged for her yet even though she was puhi, but here she had gone and made her own with the benefactor's son.

Kaitaia supposed it could be good...wasn't Scott Rangatira as well? His father was wealthy and respected; Mr. Trakker exuded mana. The marriage of the children would form a strong political bond, ensuring the protection project would remain. But Trakker was neither Maori nor too keen on his son's decision. He had given money to preserve the culture and lands of the tribe, not to add it to his family.

And whatever the politics of such a marriage, everyone agreed that eleven was far too young. The boy's voice had not even changed yet. If only the pair had been older...

-o-o-o-o-o-

Scott woke and he shifted. His arm was numb from his bride lying on it. But when pulling it out from underneath her, she woke and opened her eyes. "Oh! It's still dark." They had settled for the night beneath a thick cluster of trees. Dried leaves made for their mattress and green ones for a canopy to their bed.

He shook his hand to restore the blood flow to his fingers. "Yeah, you were lying on my arm and it went to sleep."

"Oh. I am sorry," she said and she found it in the darkness and kissed his fingers. "Maybe that will help."

"You're so cute, Te Kaha."

"And you're so smart and brave, Scott."

They giggled together, and then Scott shoved T-Bob with his foot.

The robot woke with a start. "I was getting my beauty sleep," he whined.

"What time is it, T-Bob?"

"5:05. You should just wear a watch."

"It will be dawn soon, but not too soon." He resettled between the grass mat and the blanket and put his arm around Te Kaha again, surprised at how comfortably his arm rested across her waist and stomach. It felt good to have someone to love and to hold.

"Scott?"

"Yes?"

"What's your bed like at home?"

"It's big, and pretty comfortable, except when T-Bob steals the blankets."

She giggled, and he loved to hear it. "Maybe someday we can go live there. I want to see your home someday."

"I'd like to show you. It's a big house...as big as your village."

"A house as big as a village? I cannot imagine living in such a big place."

"And it's in the mountains, like here, so you wouldn't feel too lost. But it's dry. We don't get so much rain. The forest is thin compared to the forest here."

"Is there sunshine?"

"Lots of it. All year."

"Then we'll have happy days there." She found his hand and placed hers against it. "All our days will be happy now that we have each other."

-o-o-o-o-o-

Morning came, and Te Kaha managed to catch a couple of birds in a snare, which she quickly plucked and gutted and roasted over a small fire. Scott watched carefully the whole time, knowing that soon he would be taking responsibility for much of the food-gathering. After washing up in the warm outflow of a geyser, he opened up T-Bob's junk drawer, hoping there were still some fishing hooks and string inside. Rummaging around the tools and odds and ends he soon found a case of medium sized hooks and a spool of fishing line. "Score!" he grinned. He closed the drawer and as it snapped shut he paused. A moment of thought, and then he opened the master panel on T-Bob's back. "T-Bob, pop out board eighteen."

A circuit board slid out...the transmission control board. And there gleamed the tiny blue LED marking T-Bob's homing signal generator. Taking a screwdriver, he carefully detached the unit from its power connection. "What are you doing Scott?" T-Bob asked. He could tell when someone was fiddling with his circuitry, but he usually could not tell what was being done.

"I'm shutting off your homing signal so they can't find us."

"Are you sure that's such a good idea?"

"I can always switch it back on if I need to."

They moved on, Te Kaha following the old trail marked in her memories to the winter fishing camp her family had taken her to long ago. By mid-morning the clouds had gathered, and by lunch the rain fell lightly and steadily.

They took shelter in a thick cluster of trees and Te Kaha drew a map for Scott in the dust, outlining the route to the place they were heading. "And when we get there, we'll build a house and plant some vegetables and grain. And then you can fish and hunt and I'll grow food to eat. I'll make you some Maori clothes too!"

"We'll have to go into town sometimes to get spare parts for T-Bob, unless I can make them out of wood." He laughed at the thought of repairing T-Bob with hand-carved wooden pieces.

"And when I have babies, T-Bob can help me look after them."

"Babies? Already? I thought we could wait a few years on having a family."

"Of course. First we have to have a good house and lots of food."

He kissed her on the cheek. "We'll have all that, and more."

They forged on in the rain trying to stay dry, but by evening they were thoroughly soaked and cold. A light in the valley below the trail called to them, and soon they found that the light came from over the door of a pakeha barn. The house nearby had a few lights in the windows. "We can go in the barn and dry off. I'm sure they won't mind," decided Scott.

The barn was warm inside, and they quickly changed into dry clothing, hanging their wet things over the low wall of a horse stall which appeared to be used only for hay storage. T-Bob was delighted to find an electrical outlet and he quickly plugged himself in to recharge his battery.

"I was thinking I would try to catch some fish tonight for dinner but it's too dark now, so we'll just have to eat some of what we've brought again," said Scott.

"I don't mind," smiled Te Kaha.

"Maybe you could get a steak or a hamburger from one of these cows," said T-Bob, pointing at the barn's residents in a pen at the far end.

"I don't think so," said Scott, but I might be able to get some milk."

He took Te Kaha's cooking pot and with a bit of trial and error was able to milk one of the cows, the results of which he and Te Kaha drank gladly.

The rain began to fall even harder and was now punctuated by thunder, so they decided to stay a bit longer and sleep in the barn. "We'll get up early before the farmer finds us." They curled up in the hay together, Scott's arms around Te Kaha. They had been gone more than a day and a half now, and the first doubts were starting to creep into Scott's mind. The food they had brought would not last many more days, and what if he was unable to get more, or if the rain did not let up? But at least he had two of the three people he loved most with him. Reluctantly he admitted that he missed his father, even if his father was against him marrying Te Kaha so soon.

-o-o-o-o-o-

"Scott! Scott! Wake up!" Te Kaha was shaking him.

"Hmm? Yes?"

She pointed to the opening of the stall.

A man stood at the entrance, leaning on a hay fork and looking in at the children. He wore rubber boots and overalls and a rain hat.

"You talk to him," whispered Te Kaha. "He's pakeha like you."

"Um...hi." Scott said nervously, a bit frightened. The plan had been to depart before they were discovered, but clearly that had failed.

"Good morning," said the man. "I never know what strange creatures I'm going to find out here in the barn, but I usually don't find human visitors."

"Uh, sorry. We were caught in the rain and got cold." He began to gather up the clothes hung along the wall. "We'll be going now."

"It's still raining pretty hard. You don't have to leave yet. I don't mind if you're here." His voice was soft and kindly, if a bit gravelly with age.

"Thank you, but we've got to get back on the road. Long way ahead of us."

"Would you like some breakfast first? My wife's got some eggs and bacon going."

Te Kaha looked at Scott. "I am a little hungry," she said timidly.

The farmer peered closely at Te Kaha, noting her very traditional clothing, a linen leaf skirt and halter top. "Well come up to the house. It's warmer there too."

Soon Scott and Te Kaha and T-Bob were inside the farmer's kitchen and seated at the big wooden table. His wife filled bowls of porridge for them and set out plates of bacon and eggs. Having eaten so little the night before, they devoured it.

"You kids are hungry," remarked the farmer's wife.

"Yes, very. Thank you for the food," said Te Kaha smiling.

The farmer's wife smiled at her from behind thick glasses. "You're such a sweet little girl. What are you kids doing out on your own?"

"We're exploring."

"Yes. We're going to the Smoking River Valley."

"The Smoking River? You've got a long way to go yet."

"It should be close," said Te Kaha.

The farmer's wife shook her head. "No. It's at least three days walk from here. And over some pretty rough mountains."

"No, it can't be."

"It is. I'll show you on a map." She fetched a map of the area and spread it out on the table, pointing out where they were and where the Smoking River crawled down from the mountains. They were nowhere close.

"Oh, Scott," Tekaha cried. "I must have made a wrong turn in the rain or remembered wrong. I got us lost." She covered her face in her little hands.

"It's okay Te Kaha. We know where we are now. We'll get back on track." He put his arm around her shoulders and kissed her cheek.

"Oh Scott. You're so good to me."

He smiled at her, and then turned to his robot. "T-Bob. Memorize this map so you can help Te Kaha find the way."

"All right, Scott," he said, picking up the map and scanning it. Then there was a small flash as he snapped a picture of it.

-o-o-o-o-o-

"Hey Bill? Dolf here, Dolf Jenkins."

"Yeah Dolf. Good to hear from you. What can I do for you."

"There any reports of missing kids around? Anything like that come into the station?"

"Well no. What's up?"

"Yeah, well, this morning when I went to my barn, there were a couple of kids sleeping in the hay. Just young ones...'bout eleven...twelve. A white boy and a Maori girl. They said they were taking shelter from the rain.

"And you didn't recognize them?"

"Nope. Never seen then before."

"They give you any trouble?" he asked with a lower tone.

"No. Not at all. They were very polite, and they had this talking robot thing with them."

"Okay..."

"Well they tried to leave when I found them, but it was raining pretty hard right then, so I told them they could stay until the rain stopped. Gail fed them—you know how she is about kids—and they were pretty hungry. She gave the girl a little sweater to wear against the chill since she didn't have a jacket or a cape or anything. That's when I started to wonder if they were runaways."

"Hmm...Okay. Well let me go see if anything's come in since I looked this morning, though I'm sure someone would have said something. I'm going to put you on hold."

In a few minutes the Sheriff was back. "Dolf? You there?"

"Yeah Bill."

"Nothing. Couldn't find anything about any runaways or missing kids."

"Okay."

"So where are they now?"

"They're still out in the barn waiting for the rain to stop."

"Well let me get some information from you and we can check with some of the neighboring districts and see if there's anything up."

"Sure thing."

"Start with descriptions."

"Well, the boy's named Scott, looks about eleven or twelve. Light brown hair and blue eyes. Has this white robot with him that he calls Tee-Bob. The girl's about the same age. Named Te Kaha. She's very traditional Maori...even wears the striped leaf skirt...but speaks English very well. Cutest little thing."

"Striped skirt? Did she mention an iwi or a hapu?"

"Nope, but she and the boy act like a married couple and they're so devoted to each other. Oh, and another thing too. The boy has an American accent."

"American?"

"Yeah."

"But not the girl?"

"Nope. She's about as Maori as they come."

"Interesting."

"You want to hear interesting? The kid offered to do some work to pay for breakfast and the electricity the robot needed. I told him he didn't have to, but he insisted. So I said he could give me a hand fixing my tractor. It's been having some difficulties in the ignition. I figured he could just hold the tools and the light and whatnot. But after watching me for a while, he says 'well here's the problem' and soon he's in there with the wiring and two hours later...good as new.

"He fixed the ignition on your tractor?"

"Yeah. Kid apparently knew his way around an engine. Handled the tools like a pro."

"That is interesting. Well if they're still there, maybe I should come up and talk to them. See what's up."

"Could you? They're good kids and I'd hate for there to be something wrong. Maybe you could take them back to the station?"

"Will do. I just have a bit of paperwork to take care of and then I can head up to your place. So I'll be there in an hour or two."

"We'll be here. Thanks, Bill."

"Anytime, Dolf."

"Goodbye. See you soon."

The farmer hung up the phone and put his hands on his hips. He thought for a moment and then headed up the stairs to the upper floor. "Hey Gail?"

Scott's heart pounded hard.

He quickly slipped out of the kitchen, closed the door silently, and ran through the rain to the barn. Te Kaha was just inside sweeping the floor, trying to make herself useful. She smiled at him, but then saw the panic in his eyes. "What's wrong?" she asked as he flew past her into the stall where their things were.

"We have to get out of here!"

"What?"

"The farmer was talking to the police or somebody about us. Someone's coming up here! We have to get going." He started stuffing their things into his bag and Te Kaha's carrying basket. "T-Bob! Scooter mode!" Te Kaha put her basket onto her back and Scott set Te Kaha onto T-Bob's seat. Then he shoved his bag into her hands. He pulled on his jacket and peered out the door. "Coast is clear."

Within moments they were off of the farm and back on the trail, racing for the mountain passes high above.

-o-o-o-o-o-

Runaways continues in:

Chapter 3: Trails and Tribulations

Chapter 4: Recovery and Resolution

Chapter 5: Runaways Commentary and Bonus Features

Eager for the next chapter? Eager for any new posts of my work? Use the favoriting and following options that follow this story. One click is all it takes.

-o-o-o-o-o-

M.A.S.K. and all related concepts, characters, worlds, and events are property of DIC Enterprises, Inc and Kenner Toys. Original characters and story elements are property of E. Potter, writing under the pen name of Miratete.


	3. Trails and Tribulations

**Runaways**

**Chapter 3: Trails and Tribulations**

-o-o-o-o-o-

"Americans...Americans..." Sheriff Borne wondered aloud. Why would there be an American kid wandering the hills with a Maori girl? Were there any Americans even living in the area?

Yes...yes there were. Well, sort of. The Waitomo River Cultural Protection Project. That was being instated by some Americans, wasn't it? Some wealthy American philanthropist, no? He chewed on the end of his pen. That was supposed to be happening soon.

He went over to the stack of newspapers in the corner and flipped through them, eventually selecting one from a week previous. "Here we are," he said opening it up and reading the article.

-o-o-o-o-o-

The three fugitives fled up the trail, Scott running and T-Bob in motor-scooter mode carrying Te Kaha and their belongings. The rain poured down, soaking them thoroughly. But they pushed on, driven by the fear of being caught and sent home. Scott knew that he had to put as much distance between them and the farm as he could.

-o-o-o-o-o-

Matt Trakker stared at the topographical map before him. It had been more than a day since T-Bob's homing signal had disappeared. They had found the site where it had happened...a firepit, the remains of two caught and cooked birds, a lost screw. Men went into the jungle and along the trails, but no further clues were found. The relentless rain had washed away every sign of their passage. And the area was full of trails, several of which led to the Smoking River Valley. Chief Kaitaia sent men to run every route to the valley, but they had returned this morning with nothing to report. The heavy rain kept Thunderhawk and Firefly grounded. "A few more inches of this and I'll be able to take Gator out looking for them in boat mode," Dusty had joked.

One of the villagers ran up to the open doorway of the house. "Mr. Trakker? There is a man come to see you."

He looked up from the map. "To see me?"

A man in a sheriff's uniform came in and took off his dripping hat. "Mr. Trakker?" Matt stood and Gloria looked up from her book.

"Yes."

"I'm Sheriff William Borne. I just had an interesting call come in this afternoon."

"Yes?"

"A local farmer up near Haven Creek said he had a visit from a couple of kids this morning. A Maori girl named Te Kaha and an American boy named Scott. Those names sound familiar to you?"

-o-o-o-o-o-

Dolf and Gail Jenkins were waiting on the porch as Sheriff Borne and Trakker arrived. Matt flipped out the picture of Scott he carried in his wallet. Bruce and Gloria were just getting out of Thunderhawk, having followed Matt and the sheriff up the winding road to the valley farm.

"Yes. That's him, 'cept without his little girlfriend. I've never seen two kids more devoted to each other."

Matt winced. "When did they leave?"

"I noticed they were gone about half an hour after I called you, Bill. It looks like they took off into the hills. So that would have been about four hours ago."

"Poor dears. Out in this rain," said Gail, wiping her hands almost habitually on her apron.

"Mr. Trakker, I'm so sorry. If I had known I would have locked them in the barn or something."

"It's all right, Mr. Jenkins. You didn't know. Only the village knew. I really should have reported it," he sighed humbly.

"I just can't believe how far they got in such a short time," said Borne. "Any idea where they were heading?"

"Originally it seemed that they were heading for the Smoking River Valley, but then we lost track of them."

"They were heading for Smoking River Valley," exclaimed Mrs. Jenkins. "That's what the girl said. Oh bless her little heart."

"What did she say to you?"

"She said they were exploring but they apparently got lost, and then I showed them the map and they still said they were heading there."

"At least we know where they're going, and they'll probably be taking the most direct route there. We should be able to find them." Matt turned to Gloria. "Gloria, radio Julio and Dusty and let them know that we're on the trail. And get a weather update too."

"Right Matt," she ran back through the rain and dove into Thunderhawk.

He turned to Bruce. "Bruce, you ready to do some hiking?"

Sato nodded.

"Those trails won't be safe in this rain. And there's some pretty high terrain between here and there," said the sheriff grimly.

"Then we'd better move quickly. Besides, there won't be much daylight left."

Mrs. Jenkins ran into the house and brought the map of the area back out. "Here, take this, and here are some cookies for them when you find them." She pushed a cloth bag wrapped inside a plastic one into Matt's hands.

"Thank you Mrs. Jenkins. This is very thoughtful of you."

"Mr. Trakker, if there is anything I can do to help you find your son and Te Kaha..."

"Thank you Mr. Jenkins. I'll let you know. I appreciate you taking them in and feeding them."

"It was a pleasure. It's been a long while since we've had children on the farm. And actually I feel like I owe you. Your boy fixed my tractor for me. There was something wrong in the ignition and he and that robot of his just fixed it. He knew more about engines than I do."

Matt smiled. "I hope he didn't cause any trouble. Sometimes he and T-Bob get a bit out of hand."

"I find that hard to believe. He was so serious. And he was always looking after the little girl."

"Would you happen to have a couple of raincoats we could borrow?" Bruce asked the sheriff.

"I've got a couple in the trunk of the car. I'll go get them for you."

"Thank you."

He ran out to the car to fetch them as Matt opened up the map onto the porch table. There were several trails that would lead toward the Smoking River Valley, though two routes seemed the most direct, and shared the same course until a few miles from the farm. Matt studied them carefully. "We'll go together for this part of the route. Then when we get to here..." His finger fell onto the fork. "...we'll split up and take both routes. If the weather clears up any we can get Gloria and Julio searching from the air."

Sheriff Borne returned and handed Bruce a tan-colored raincoat and Matt a yellow one. "You know I can call in a search and rescue team," he said.

"Thank you. If I haven't found them by morning, I'll take you up on that offer."

"Well keep in touch. You know how to contact me."

Matt and Bruce dressed in their masks and uniforms and set out on the trail. They were pleased to find a few markers of the passing of the party of three, usually in the form of a tire-track in the mud. Gloria waited behind at the farm with Thunderhawk, tracking the men on the computer from the relative comfort of the Jenkins' front porch. Mrs. Jenkins kept plying her with home-baked goods and hot tea.

-o-o-o-o-o-

The trail wound up from the valley, the thick wet forest pressing in around it. In some places it curled tunnel-like around the three, and T-Bob had to turn on his lights in the darkness. After a few miles, the forest thinned somewhat and the trail climbed steeply, too steeply for Te Kaha to ride any longer. And soon after dismounting they came to another fork in the trail. "Which way, T-Bob?"

"According to the map, both routes will take us to the Smoking River Valley. Left is shorter, but the route appears steeper. Right is longer, but has a more gradual elevation gain."

Scott looked at his wife, her hand clenched around his, water dripping from her curls, bravely smiling back at him even though she had to be cold and miserable from the rain. She loved the sunshine. Her smile and bright eyes radiated it even on gloomy days. "We'll take the path on the right."

The trail ascended high above the valley. As the forest gave way to grassland the rain stopped and the rising breeze cleared away the clouds. Scott paused to look about, turning to behold the sunset, and he was struck by its magnificence. "Te Kaha! Look!" he exclaimed.

She turned her head the direction he was facing. "Oh! It's beautiful!" A few more steps and she was at his side, her hand pushed into his again.

The two children stood looking over the great panorama spread out before them, the beauty of the land and sky and the sea beyond. Brilliant orange and pink clouds floated overhead. Below them the island stretched away to the ocean. They could see all the way back down the valley to the Jenkins' farm, and other valleys were now visible from this height. Some of the low areas were in twilight and lights were beginning to come on in the shadows. In the further distance they could see the Pacific, the great endless ocean that extended as far as the eye could see. Night was beginning to creep in from the east as the molten orb of the sun sunk in the west.

"Scott, I shall always remember this moment," Te Kaha said.

"Oh?"

"It's so beautiful." She held his hand to her lips and kissed it. "Whenever I am sad or feel lonely or feel unhappy, I will think of this moment. Because right now everything is perfect. The world is so beautiful, and we are together. No matter what happens, I will always have this moment of perfect to remember."

Scott debated for a moment what was the best thing to say to her...she was so right. At this single moment, everything was beautiful—the sunset, the hills, the darkening lowlands, the ocean, his adorable little wife. He had heard it said that the world was a much more beautiful place when you were in love, and for the first time in his life he understood it. And how he wanted to tell her...

But not finding the right words and not wishing to ruin the moment, he simply wrapped his arms around her and kissed her.

And before the sun's glorious swansong of light was lost, he called to T-Bob, and the robot took their picture, preserving the perfect moment of them kissing, silhouetted against the sunset, the world at their feet.

-o-o-o-o-o-

Dusk had fallen across the land. The trail had gotten steep and the elevation gain was noticeable. Panting, Matt and Bruce paused to rest where a cliff overhung the trail, providing a long dry area beneath it to rest in. They lumbered to the back wall and slumped against it. Judging from the footprints in the dust, it appeared the children had rested there as well.

The two pushed back the hoods of their raincoats, pulled off their masks, and set them down. Matt closed his eyes, yawned, and let his head fall forward.

"Tired?" asked Bruce.

"Yeah. I've not been sleeping well."

"Understandably."

Matt pulled the map out of the raincoat pocket and opened it again. His finger traced the route they had taken, pausing where he estimated they were. "We're not far from that fork. I take the left and you take the right?"

"It doesn't matter to me."

Matt yawned again and Bruce patted him on the arm. "Why don't you take a short nap? You'll feel better with a bit of sleep."

"I'd love to, but we've got to find them."

"Fifteen minutes won't make a difference. And I can move on and keep looking." Before Matt could protest, Bruce stood and picked up Lifter. "I insist."

Matt smiled up at him. "All right. Wake me up in fifteen."

"I'm going on ahead then, and I'll take the right fork."

"All right."

Sato pulled Lifter back over his head and turned to go.

"Bruce?" Trakker called after him as he began to walk away.

He paused and turned back around.

"Thanks for being here. Thanks for everything."

Bruce walked back over, squatted down, and took Matt's hand. There were no words—just a firm squeeze. And wordlessly he departed and continued on up the trail.

-o-o-o-o-o-

They found another cave shelter alongside the trail and were pleased to find it protected from the wind. A fire-ring and a small supply of dry wood sat inside as if waiting for them. Te Kaha seized the opportunity and quickly made a fire to warm them and dry their clothing. "I'll cook some porridge for us," she said, unpacking her basket.

"Good idea. I am hungry." Scott untied the grass mat and unrolled it for them to sit upon.

T-Bob immediately settled and went into sleep mode. Despite having left the farm with a full charge, the travel was draining him, and there was little opportunity of being able to get a new one when they were on the run. So to conserve power he shut down knowing he would not be needed for a while.

"Scott! My cooking pot isn't in here," said Te Kaha nervously. "Is it in your bag?"

"I don't think so, but I'll look."

He looked but found nothing. Te Kaha searched her things again and ended up on the verge of tears. "We must have left it behind at the farm when we ran away so fast."

"It's okay, Te Kaha," Scott said, trying to comfort her.

"But I can't cook without it."

"Don't worry. We'll buy you a new one as soon as I can get some money. It's just a cooking pot."

"That pot belonged to my grandmother. She told me that it would be mine when I got married. It was her wedding gift to me," the girl said soberly. "And now I've lost it."

"I'm sorry, Te Kaha. Well when things have settled down I'll go back to the farm and see if I can find it. I don't think anyone would throw away a good pot."

"My grandmother died two years ago," she sobbed.

Scott sighed. A strange world hers was when a simple metal cooking pot could mean so much. But no stranger than some of his ways probably seemed to her. "I promise I will go look for it, once we aren't being chased any more."

She looked up at him, the shadows created by the newly-lit fire dancing over his face. "Thank you, Scott." She crawled over to him where he had been searching through his bag. "I love you," she said softly.

The boy suddenly felt warm all over, and not from the growing fire. "I love you too," he said, taking her head between his hands and kissing her on the bandana wrapped over her forehead. She quickly responded with a kiss placed on his lips.

They sat together for a while, warming themselves at the fireside and drying off their clothing. It was decided that with the rain having slowed they could continue on through the night. T-Bob and the moon could light the way. The moon was nearly full and provided enough light to follow the trail across the grassy highlands, and T-Bob could take them through the shadows.

Past the cave shelter the mountain trail became steep and rocky as the wide meadows turned to bare escarpments and broken peaks. The three moved along in a tight group, carefully stepping along the rugged trail. Past the cave, the gentle, mostly flat highlands rose into rugged mountaintops through which a narrow pass wound. To their right, a cliff rose some thirty feet above a strip of talus. To the left the ground sloped steeply down, dotted with thin shrubbery and fallen boulders. These had to be the "pretty rough mountains" that Mrs. Jenkins had described.

The wind which had been blowing steadily, whistling ominously through the grey stone spires, suddenly rose, forcing them to cower against the rocky talus. "Scott! I'm scared!" cried Te Kaha, clutching him timidly. "My hands are so cold I can barely hold on."

"I'm scared too! I've been scared since your father said we were going to New Zealand!" wailed T-Bob.

Scott snuggled up against Te Kaha and took her hands, pushing them underneath his jacket and shirt to warm them against his bare stomach. He was thankful for the woolen sweater the farmer's wife had given her to wear. Without it the poor girl would not have made it this far. Two days of rain had turned their warm paradise so damp and chilly.

"I suppose we should go back to that cave," Scott said defeatedly.

"Yes! The trail is too dangerous in the dark and wind," whimpered Te Kaha. "And that howling...it sounds like monsters. I'm too scared to go any further."

"It's just the wind in the rocks, but it does sound creepy."

"Our legends say there are monsters in the high mountains and in the forests where no one goes."

"They're just legends. But we should go back to the cave. You're right. The trail is too dangerous at night. We'll get some sleep and try again in the morning."

"Thank you, Scott," she said softly in his ear.

"Are your hands warmer?"

"Yes," and with that she tickled his stomach, making him giggle. "Let's go."

They rose from their huddle at the side of the trail and began to make their way back down the slope. Clouds whipped thin by the wind blew across the face of the moon. The howling of the spires faded as they got further away.

And then tragedy struck...

T-Bob slipped and lost his balance. For a moment he teetered on one foot as Scott lunged forward to stabilize him, but it was too late. The unstable boulder he stood on suddenly tipped, pitching him forward and throwing Scott off balance as well. Te Kaha reached out futilely. The boy and the robot were out of her grasp.

All three screamed at once.

Scott tumbled down the steep slope about fifteen feet before his left foot slipped down between two boulders. And while that stopped his fall, his ankle was wrenched painfully as the rest of his body landed hard in a bush.

Roly-poly T-Bob continued to tumble down the slope, rolling and bouncing toward the precipice at the bottom of it. The crashing sound of his metal body colliding with rock was still audible over the wind. Te Kaha screamed again as the white shape approached the edge of the dark gorge beyond the slope, tumbled over the cliff, and was gone.

"T-Bob!" Te Kaha cried. "Scott!" She set down her basket and picked her way down the slope to where her husband was extricating himself from the boulders. She could hear him gasping and whimpering in pain. "Scott! Are you hurt badly?" she asked as she reached him.

"I think my ankle's broken. It hurts so badly."

"Oh Scott!" She looked him over as best she could in the moonlight. A cut on his forehead oozed blood and his jacket and jeans had been torn, but otherwise he seemed to have survived.

"T-Bob?" he asked her.

Her mouth opened but no words formed.

"T-Bob? T-Bob!?" he shouted, looking around. He tried to stand but could only kneel. "T-Bob!" Panicked he turned to Te Kaha again. "Where is he?"

"He's gone," she sobbed. "He kept rolling and could not stop. He rolled off the cliff down there."

"No..." Scott cried. "T-Bob..." And then he shouted into the dreadful night. "T-Bob! Teeeee-Bob!"

Clinging to him, Te Kaha gathered up her wits and courage. "Scott, we have to get back to the cave. You're bleeding and hurt."

Scott took a few deep breaths, trying to calm himself, which was difficult with all the adrenaline running through his body right now. "Yes..." he conceded.

They made their way back to the cave, the going very slow because of his injured ankle. What had been a short distance on the way there was suddenly long and difficult. But on returning to the shelter, Te Kaha quickly rekindled their fire and made Scott as comfortable as possible.

For a while the two huddled together in the blanket weeping over the loss of their friend and the failure of their escapade. What had begun with such high hopes now lay all around them in ruins. "I think we have to give up, Scott. We've lost almost everything."

"Everything but each other, and I couldn't bear to lose you. It is time to give up and go back."

A single heart-breaking sob escaped Te Kaha's throat and Scott held her close, crying himself. "I thought we were Romeo and Juliet and I guess we really are. They didn't succeed either."

"Who are Romeo and Juliet?"

"It was a famous story about two young lovers. Their families were fighting each other. Romeo, a boy from one family, fell in love with Juliet, a girl from the other family. They ran away together and got married, just like we did, and everything went wrong."

"It does sound like us. What happened to them?"

Scott grimaced. "They both ended up dead."

"Oh..." Te Kaha looked down into her lap. "What a horrible story!" she exclaimed. "Why would anyone write such a horrible sad story? But Scott, that won't be us! We're not going to die. T-Bob died but we won't!" She took Scott's head in her hands. "I'm going to go back down the mountain and get help. I'll go back to the farm. The farmer and his wife will help us. That's why they called the police. They wanted us to be safe."

"Te Kaha, it's dark and it will be even darker in the forest."

"We still have your flashlight. It can get me through the dark places. And the moonlight is enough for most of the journey."

"Wait until morning..at least until dawn."

"I'll go now. You're in a lot of pain, aren't you?"

Scott nodded. He had been trying to hide how badly his ankle was hurting.

"It will only take me a few hours to get down to the farm. And then maybe they can contact the village or someone who can."

"My dad has his flying car. He can come get me here, but only if he knows where to go. Can you show him the way?"

"I will be able to recognize this place." The worry in her voice had been replaced with determination.

"Then go. I'll be waiting here thinking about you."

She put her arms around his shoulders and kissed him again on the lips. "I do love you, my husband. I'd do anything for you."

"Te Kaha..." He grabbed her around the waist and held her tightly to his chest, wanting to never let go. But now he had to. It was inevitable.

-o-o-o-o-o-

Runaways continues in:

Chapter 4: Recovery and Resolution

Chapter 5: Runaways Commentary and Bonus Features

I know...it got rather tragic there...And here T-Bob was being likeable for once. And it got kinda mooshy too—but no apologies to my readers that would rather see action and fight scenes. If you need more weapons and battles, put pen to paper and write 'em yourselves. -grin- Besides, Scott and Te Kaha are just so gosh-darn cute together, it's hard to not write them getting all lovey-dovey with each other.

-o-o-o-o-o-

M.A.S.K. and all related concepts, characters, worlds, and events are property of DIC Enterprises, Inc and Kenner Toys. Original characters and story elements are property of E. Potter, writing under the pen name of Miratete.


	4. Recovery and Resolution

**Runaways**

**Chapter 4: Recovery and Resolution**

The rain had stopped completely, and sometimes the moon broke through the clouds, casting a cold light across the highlands above the forest.

Te Kaha jogged along the trail. It was several miles back to the farm, and even further to her village. She hated to leave Scott behind, but at least he would be sheltered and safe in the cave. There was dry wood to burn and he had the blanket and the last of the food. She tried to be brave, just like Scott would. He had rescued her grandfather, and now it was her turn to rescue him.

But no amount of courage could have steeled her against what was around the bend. When she saw it she screamed, her shrill voice piercing the night.

The demon stood there on the trail in the stark moonlight, and it had spotted her just as she had spotted it. It had two faintly glowing eyes and a cape of human skin. A giant earthworm hung in its mouth. All the scary stories told in the village were true—ogres that ate human flesh, demons that devoured souls, ghosts that lurked in the darkness, blood-thirsty monsters that killed babies.

"Te Kaha!" it exclaimed in an otherworldly voice.

She screamed again. The monster knew her name.

It raised its grasping hands to her.

Her legs wanted to turn to stone and her heart felt ready to explode. The unnatural greenish glint in its eyes was menacing.

"Te Kaha!" it called to her, now beckoning.

"No!" she shrieked, snapping out of the paralysis of fear. She turned and ran across the grass of the highlands, leaving the trail behind, the panic speeding her on. I have to get away! I have to escape. I can't let it get me or Scott will die waiting for help. I have to be brave like Scott...brave like my husband!

"Te Kaha! Come back!" The demon chased her through the thick grass, catching up to her quickly. And it tackled her, seizing her around the middle with its scaly arms and pushing her down into the mountain meadow. "Got you!" it exclaimed as they slid to a stop on the wet grass, the demon on its back and the girl atop him in its hands.

Te Kaha shrieked and squirmed and flailed with her arms, fighting like a wildcat to be free.

"Te Kaha! Te Kaha stop struggling. Calm down." The demon's hollow voice spoke English. This was one of the dreaded pakeha demons brought by the English settlers so many years ago.

"Let me go, you monster!" she screamed.

The demon laughed. "Monster? So that's it." And it tore off its head and tossed it aside.

And then she realized that it wasn't a monster's head that landed next to her. It was a mask.

She turned quickly and found that her captor was the gentle Asian man that had appeared amongst Scott's father's friends. Immediately her struggling ceased and she embraced him tightly, crying and laughing at the same time. "I thought you were a demon. I was so scared. Why were you wearing that mask?" The cape of skin was but a plastic raincoat and he wore some sort of canvas suit.

"It helps me see at night," said Bruce, laughing as well. "I'm sorry if I scared you," he apologized. "My mask is perhaps a bit frightening. Where is Scott?" he asked as she climbed off of his chest and stood up.

Sato sat up for a moment before staggering to his feet, panting from the exertion of sprinting after the girl following the long ascent to the highlands.

"He's in a cave over that way." She pointed. "He and T-Bob fell. Scott hurt his ankle, and...and..." She started to cry and grabbed Bruce around the hips, burying her face in his stomach.

"What happened, Te Kaha?" he asked gently. Something had upset her greatly.

"T-Bob fell down the mountainside. We think he's dead."

"Oh Te Kaha." Bruce knelt down and held her comfortingly. "Don't give up hope yet."

"He fell a long way and we could not see him any more. We don't know where he is."

"If we can find him, Scott and I can fix him and he'll come back to life. Robots are like that. But for now we have to find Scott and take care of him. You said his ankle was hurt?"

"Yes. He can't walk and he says there is much pain. I was going to find help."

"Lead me to him," Sato said as he stood again. He picked up his mask. "I'm going to radio Scott's father, but I'll have to put this on again."

"I'm not scared, now that I know it's you."

-o-o-o-o-o-

Scott called out to Bruce immediately as he approached the cave with Te Kaha. "Bruce!"

"Scott!" Bruce ran the remainder of the way into the cave. "Te Kaha says you're hurt."

"Yeah. I fell and did something to my ankle. It's broken or sprained."

Bruce pulled off Lifter and knelt down at the foot of the mat as Te Kaha went to the top of it. Scott opened up the blanket and she snuggled up against him, greeting him with a touching of foreheads and a rubbing of noses. Scott folded the blanket around them and buried his face in her damp curly hair.

Bruce looked at Scott's ankle, now quite swollen and discolored. The boy also appeared rather scratched up and bruised from his tumble. "We lost T-Bob," Scott said soberly. "He fell off a cliff not to far from here."

"Te Kaha told me. We can repair him if we can find him. A shame his homing signal was not operational," he said with a hint of accusation in his voice.

"I know," Scott sighed guiltily.

Bruce went back to his radio. "Matt, Gloria. I'm with Scott. The meadow near the cave is clear enough to land Thunderhawk, and the rain has stopped here."

"We'll home in in on your signal," came Matt's voice. "Gloria just picked me up and we're on our way."

Fifteen minutes later Thunderhawk landed on the grass and Matt and Gloria rushed across to where Bruce was waving.

There were no words, only tears, as Matt embraced his son and held him tightly. Even Bruce, normally stiff and stoic, was looking a bit misty-eyed. Gloria noticed and took his arm, giving it a bit of a hug.

"Scott, I was so worried about you."

"I know..."

"I missed you."

"I missed you too. I'm so sorry for running away. It was..."

"Shhh..." Matt interrupted him. "There will be time to discuss this later." He took Scott's head in his hands and rubbed away his son's tears with his thumbs. And then he looked at Te Kaha, clinging faithfully to Scott's arm. Matt leaned forward and she rubbed her nose gently against his. "Te Kaha.." he addressed her. "Thank you for taking care of Scott. That was very brave of you to start looking for help."

She smiled weakly.

Then he wrapped his arms around both of the children and held them closely.

When the embrace broke, Matt pulled his flashlight from a pocket and looked at Scott's ankle. "Let's get you back to the village so Julio can take a look at this and see if we need to get you to a hospital."

"We have to find T-Bob" said Scott nervously, worried that the robot would be forgotten. "He fell into a ravine."

Matt shook his head. "Tomorrow. When the sun is up."

"I'll go look for him tomorrow," volunteered Bruce. "Lifter might be of great help."

-o-o-o-o-o-

Scott felt sick inside as Bruce landed Thunderhawk and drove into the village, and even sicker as Dusty pulled T-Bob's battered body out of the back seat. He was terrifically broken and dented. Body panels were missing, as were his right arm and leg. One of his eyes had been smashed and the other was cracked.

"T-Bob..." Scott wailed and hopped over to him on one foot, where Te Kaha ran up immediately to balance him. "Bruce, is he okay?" Julio had declared Scott's ankle only sprained, but had wrapped it up in cold wet towels the rest of the night, bandaging it the next morning.

Bruce's eyes were sad as he shook his head. "I'll see if I can at least get him conscious."

"I think we got most of him," said Dusty, pulling the missing limbs out of the back seat after they set the body on the deck. Te Kaha held Scott tightly, tears in her eyes. Despite the whole issue of the pair running away, it had been decided to allow them this last day together as a chance to say goodbye and perhaps consider a realistic plan for their future.

Bruce spread out a blanket on the deck of the guest house and went to work, Scott beside him and Te Kaha sitting nearby. The others stood around, looking on somberly. Matt mostly watched Scott, trying to resolve his feelings about his son's adventure.

They ended up removing T-Bob's master circuits and battery, then re-connecting them outside of the body. Thankfully T-Bob's battery had not been damaged in the accident—only disconnected. When there was a positive connection, they attached the cracked eye and his voicebox to the circuitboard.

At first, only gibberish came out of the speaker, but then a panicked "Scott! I can't move! Why can't I move?"

The pained look on Scott's face gave way to a huge smile. "T-Bob!" he squealed joyfully.

"Scott! What happened? Wait! I fell off a cliff!" squawked the speaker.

"T-Bob! You're alive!"

"Scott I think my eyes are bad. I can barely see you. Why won't you speak to me?"

"Oh! He needs an ear," realized Bruce, and he immediately reached into the battered shell and extracted one of the microphones that picked up sound for the robot. He handed it to Scott, who connected it to the circuit board.

"T-Bob? Can you hear me now?" he asked anxiously.

"I can Scott, but where are we?"

"We're back at the village." He picked up the eye and moved it around to look about.

"I can't move. I'm helpless." And then the eye panned past his body, eliciting a scream. "My body!"

"You were badly damaged in that fall," said Bruce calmly. Scott turned the eye to the engineer. "We're going to have to rebuild you from the ground up."

"What!? A completely new body? Just as I was getting used to this one."

"I can rebuild you the same as you are now. Though another year or so and Scott will have outgrown your scooter mode. So perhaps some changes are in order."

Scott thought for a moment. "Could we rebuild him like Iron Man? That would be cool!"

T-Bob shrieked at the prospect and they all laughed. He would have run off and hid at that point were he more than a few components attached to a battery.

-o-o-o-o-o-

Scott Trakker sat at the window of the transport plane, watching the endless sea of white cloud below. T-Bob, a shadow of his former self, merely a few components and a smaller battery, had been installed into a plastic toolbox with his speaker and remaining eye mounted on one end. Everyone had started calling him T-Box, since this was to be his form until a new body could be constructed. Said toolbox sat in Scott's lap, his hands resting on it. And tucked inside it were the robot's memory banks, and inside those were the precious pictures that T-Bob had snapped...pictures of Scott and and Te Kaha. That was all he had of her now...a handful of pictures, memories that would fade, and a huge single pearl. The latter had been her parting gift to him, part of her inheritance as rangatira of the Waitomo River tribe. The size of a macadamia nut, Gloria had said it was worth a fortune

"I don't think I've ever seen you look so serious," said Matt, coming in from the cargo hold where he and the others had been seeing to the vehicles.

"Oh, I was just thinking about stuff."

"Like...?"

"...the future."

Matt sat down beside him. "Thinking about Te Kaha?"

"Thinking about what I'll have to do before I turn eighteen and people will accept us being together." He sighed bitterly, a sound Matt had never heard the boy utter before. The weight of the world had finally found him. "I'm going to have to grow up. I mean, really grow up."

Trakker put his arm around his son's shoulder. "Eighteen is still a long way away."

"I thought I knew enough, Dad, but everything went wrong. That rain... If it hadn't been for that rain..."

"If it hadn't been for that rain I might never have gotten you back."

"I wanted it all to be perfect, but everything seemed to go wrong. We lost the way...the farmer called the sheriff on us...the rain kept coming down...we got cold...the cooking pot got left behind...we couldn't get over the pass...and then T-Bob and I fell. I thought everything was going to go so well, and it just didn't."

"Fairytales are so unfair. You grow up being told that you get married and then everything is happily ever after. It's a big lie. Things don't get any easier at that point."

"So I've learned. We got married and everything went wrong."

"Scott. I still mean what I said. If you really want to be with her, we'll make it happen someday. I never said that you couldn't marry her...just that I wanted you to wait until you were old enough, when you were more ready to face all the challenges."

"Well we did get married so it's too late to wait. Paparoa performed the ceremony and we even kissed."

Matt sighed. "And according to New Zealand law that ceremony is legally binding, so yes you are. However I doubt it's going to count for anything back home."

"Probably not."

"At least not legally. But if you feel married in your heart, then you are, and that's the important thing."

Scott sighed again, and for the first time in the conversation he looked up at his father. "I do feel married, even if the whole world was against it."

"Then when we get home, here's what we'll do. You come up with a list of everything you'll need to know before you can be married in everyone else's eyes...everything you need to know to support a wife and family, and then we'll work on you learning all that."

"You'll help me?"

"Of course I'll help you. I'm your dad. It's my job to help you grow up."

Scott hugged his father tightly. "Thanks Dad."

"Anytime. And like I said, you still have a few years, so don't feel like you have to hurry. Feel free to stay a kid a little longer. Besides, we still need your help fighting VENOM."

Scott grinned and hugged him again, burying his face in his father's chest.

-o-o-o-o-o-

The End

-o-o-o-o-o-

But if you want just a little bit more, please check out Chapter 5: Runaways Commentary and Bonus Features: author notes, a Public Service Announcement, and a bonus scene.

-o-o-o-o-o-

M.A.S.K. and all related concepts, characters, worlds, and events are property of DIC Enterprises, Inc and Kenner Toys. Original characters and story elements are property of E. Potter, writing under the pen name of Miratete.


	5. Runaways Commentary

Runaways Commentary

-o-o-o-o-o-

Episode 55 "The Plunder of Glowworm Grotto" has to be one of my top ten favorite episodes. It has so much to enjoy about it, and the interaction between Scott and Te Kaha is just so adorable. It wasn't perfect by any means, and I'm still confused as to why Bruce landed Firefly separately from the transport plane, even after viewing the episode umpteen times and reading the novelization (ISBN: **9780340415351**). If anyone can explain this to me, please do. My best guess is simply that it gave him something exciting to do in an episode where he really didn't get to do much otherwise. So I gave him some good moments in the third and fourth chapters where he gets a chance to shine.

Gloria's "eight seconds" taunt would have been very familiar to Dusty. In the rodeo sport of bull riding, the rider must stay atop the bull for at least eight seconds to get a score. Riders bucked off before that eight second count earn no points.

I decided to give Bruce an exceptionally low alcohol tolerance (you occasionally find this among Asians—one sip is their limit). I love Dusty's commentary: "Well you know Bruce. All you have to do is drive slowly past a liquor store to get him drunk" (it strikes me as exactly the sort of thing the team would say about him). And then Gloria's: "Half a cup of weak beer and he passes out." But you figure they're just setting things down for the guests and you don't ask questions and just enjoy what you're given to be polite, and if it's a low alcohol drink, you're not likely to notice that it's intoxicating at first. So it wasn't really his fault. But yes, I took advantage of poor old Bruce yet again for some cheap laughs...and stay tuned for more.

Originally when Te Kaha sees the demon on the trail, I had "a snake or a giant earthworm" in its mouth. But then I discovered that there are no snakes endemic to New Zealand, save for ocean-going sea snakes. Te Kaha would perhaps know of them but would not immediately have thought that was one hanging there.

An odd observation regarding Episode 55...

Was that a Maori village or a Smurf village? There seem to be plenty of men around, but only one woman, who appears to be Chief Kaitaia's wife.

Maori Vocabulary:

hapu = clan or sub-tribe, and also used for the further family group sub-division

iwi = tribe, a political group of persons all descended from a single male ancestor

mana = power, prestige, authority

pakeha = non-Maori

puhi = a young woman of rank, usually reserved for an arranged or political marriage

rangatira = persons of good birth, nobility, chief, leader of a tribe

-o-o-o-o-o-

And now...another Public Service Announcement regarding excessive drinking.

-o-o-o-o-o-

_Matt Trakker, Scott Trakker, and T-Bob approach the entrance of the Maori village and see that everyone is lying about asleep._

Scott: Did they have too much to drink, Dad?*

Matt: I don't think so, Scott. Something funny is going on here. Besides, Julio and the chief know how dangerous it can be to drink too much. You could have an accident and hurt yourself, or worse yet, try to drive and hurt someone else.

_Matt spots Julio Lopez and rushes over to him. He kneels down and helps Julio to sit up. Julio moans._

Matt: Julio! Julio! Wake up!

Julio: Please lady...no more Jello-shots.

Scott: You were saying, Dad?

* This line is taken straight from the official novelization of Episode 55.

-o-o-o-o-o-

And those of you familiar with my work, you know that I sometimes include "cutting room floor" bits at the end of my stories. But the following moment here is actually a bit of fanservice. *Winks at two someones in the reading audience*

-o-o-o-o-o-

Gloria trotted down the trail to the riverside. The rain had slowed for the moment to a mild drizzle. Coming through the undergrowth she called out. "Guys? You here?"

There was much splashing in the pool below as Bruce and Julio dove for the cliffside and hunkered down in the waist-deep water.

"Gloria!" Julio choked. "We're not decent!"

"You said you were going swimming," she said, looking down over the cliffside at the two other agents. A hot mineral spring flowed from the bank of the Waitomo river, and the locals had created a series of pools to catch the steaming water and temper it with river water. The largest pool was perfect for a long relaxing soak.

"Yes, but we didn't have any swimsuits," Bruce told her.

"Hmmm...what a shame," she snickered.

Dusty suddenly stood up from the bottom of the pool with a loud gasp and wiped the water from his eyes and forehead with his hands. He had been sitting motionless on the sandy bottom of the hot pool practicing holding his breath. His times had been approaching an impressive two minutes of submersion.

"Dusty! Don't turn around!" cautioned Bruce.

Hayes tensed. "Another water spider?"

"Nope. Just that Gloria showed up and she's staring at your butt and you might not want her staring at anything else," Julio answered.

Dusty looked up and over his shoulder to see Gloria there smirking at him. "Gloria!" He dropped back down into the water and moved up against the rock wall that formed the high bank of the pool.

"Well sorry to disappoint you but I didn't actually come down here to gawk at you boys. We just had an interesting visit up at the village from a local sheriff. He said that Scott and Te Kaha showed up this morning at a farm about thirty miles from here. We're going to head out there now. Matt's going to ride with the sheriff; and Bruce, you and I are to follow in Thunderhawk."

Bruce nodded.

"And you two are to stay in contact in case something else happens."

"Well there's some good news," said Julio happily.

"That's for sure."

"So get dressed and come on back to the village so we can get going."

"So go away so we can," laughed Dusty.

She bent back over the rocky lip and looked down at the three. "Oh like there's anything I'd want to look at," she teased.

"Oh, I'll show you something worth looking at!" teased Dusty right back, stepping away from the cliff and turning around.

He started to stand up, but Julio grabbed him by the shoulder and pulled him back down. "Hey, stop showing off in front of my wife!"

"Your wife started it. She's a tart!" Dusty countered. And the two of them burst into laughter.

"I heard that!" the accused tart called back, laughing just as much.

Bruce shook his head at the silly antics and edged along to the lower bank of the pool to climb out.

"I'm going," announced Gloria, disappearing from overhead. "See you up at the village."

"We'll be there soon."

When she was gone, the three scampered out of the pool, dried off, and dressed as quickly as possible.

Dusty couldn't help but smirk. The banter with Gloria had just been an act. What the others didn't know was that last night she and he had been at this very same spot, swimming and splashing through the pools wearing nothing but moonlight and rain. And this certainly hadn't been the first time they'd been off skinny-dipping together.

But then they did most everything together when on a mission. Everyone thought of them as best friends, and they were. Even the MASK computer seemed to know and sometimes paired them together in Gator. Romantic or sexual feelings would only mess things up. Besides, best friends were always harder to find than lovers.

-o-o-o-o-o-


End file.
